Obesity linked to some religious practices

August 30, 2006

Considering the caloric spreads at church dinners, social hours and picnics, it's probably not surprising. A sociology professor from Purdue University has found a link between obesity and some people's religious activities. Ken Ferraro analyzed religious practices and body mass indexes of 2,500 people during the eight-year period 1986 to 1994. Some practices, including heavy use of religious media, were associated with greater risk of obesity. Ferraro encourages religious leaders to pay more attention to how church activities and religious messages affect the health of their congregations. "Most religions also encourage restraint from participating in injurious behaviors, such as heavy drinking and smoking," Ferraro says. "However, overeating is not considered a great sin -- it has become the accepted vice."